Dan Rather on Shark Finning

Shark finning is the term used when fishermen pull live sharks from the water, slice off their fins and then dump them back into the water while still alive. Without their fins the sharks die a slow and agonizing death, usually of suffocation. And, the practice is on the rise - feeding the growing appetite for shark fin soup. Our investigation follows the practice of shark finning from the fishermen who are pushing these animals to the brink of extinction - all in the name of a cultural delicacy - to the legislative efforts attempting to ban this practice in the U.S. and around the world.